Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Sentimental and romantic old-time circus adventure story..., March 30, 2011

Ninety-three-year-old Jacob Jankowski, an unhappy resident of a nursing home, reminisces about his life with the traveling train circus -- Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth -- during the Great Depression. In and out of a small town, usually an overnight, the performers and working men put on a show that involves animals, freaks (the dwarf and the fat lady), the clowns, and all manner of circus act entertainment including a tent just for "gentlemen" and other delights.

Jacob's parents died just as he was about to write his final exams in veterinary school at Cornell University. Because of the hard economic times, his parents mortgaged everything to pay his tuition and thus he was left grief-stricken AND penniless. He ends up joining the Benzini Brothers by an accident of good timing and, because of his vet training, he ends up hired on to care for the horses and other animals. Along the way, the circus owner purchases an elephant named Rosie; she becomes a special part of this story.

Author Sara Gruen weaves a tale of hooking the rubes into coming to the show, second-rate performances that managed to wow the audiences, boozy nights, in-fighting among those with the train, backbreaking work, and other fascinating details of the traveling circus. Jacob quickly assimilates into the hard life and makes the mistake of falling in love with Marlena, one of the performers who has a sadistic husband. Not only cruel to his wife, August also beats and mistreats the animals. What will become of Jacob and the rest of the members of this group of misfits, outcasts, and showmen?

Readers will savor the story and applaud the somewhat maudlin ending. I read it quickly and found it very sweet and entertaining; recommended for teens and adults. Enjoy!

Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell

Nanobots: good vs evil..., March 27, 2011

This is the 18th Patricia Cornwell novel featuring Kay Scarpetta that I've read. I've also read her Andy Brazil series. I must say that I have to agree with other reviewers who are longing for this author to resurrect the thrills and suspense that were hallmarks of the first books she published over 20 years ago! The evil perpetrators, the gory crime scenes, the forensic science, the likable characters, the passion, and the basic storyline of previous books are all missing here.

This premise of this book was interesting enough -- the new cutting-edge technology of nanobots and virtual autopsy were fascinating and thought-provoking, but the plot lacked the magical ingredient of making me care about the case and I can't say that I was racing through the pages to a thrilling conclusion. Kay is given to long bouts of introspection and it seems that she can't get any answers or straight talk from any of her cohort -- including Benton, Lucy and Marino. It reads as if she were a weak tool of all the powerful men in her life and is no longer the strong, independent, powerful woman that I had come to admire over the years. The mystery in this case is complex and convoluted and limped to the end with a whimper though there was the obligatory "Kay almost dies" scene.

In conclusion, the book is one that true fans will read because they are vested in Kay and the other characters we've grown to know and care about. It's not one of those books that you can't put down or that will keep you up all night, but it's readable escapist crime fiction.

The Bay at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain

Secrets and lies..., March 20, 2011

A beautiful young girl. A tragedy on a moonlit night. In 1962, Isabelle Bauer drowned in Bay Head Shores. Her death, ruled a homicide, remained an unsolved mystery despite the fact that a local man was found guilty and spent the rest of his life in prison for the murder. Isabelle's mother and sisters don't talk about her or what happened on that hot August night. Until the day that Julie Bauer, who was 12 years old during that fateful summer, receives a visitor bearing a letter that may or may not shed light on the case.

This is a novel about what happens when secrets are kept and passions are denied. It's about what happens when love is confusing and mistakes are made. The events of that particular night and others during the summer leading up to it are examined from three different points of view. Maria (mother to Isabelle, Julie and Lucy) tells her story, each of the daughters relates what part she played in the unfolding drama, and Julie's daughter, Shannon is meanwhile creating problems of her own that lead the women to finally deal with 40 years of anger, silence, suspicion, guilt, and shame.

The reason I like the novels that Diane Chamberlain writes is because she writes believable characters. This suspense story, set in two different time periods -- 1962 and present day - is a wonderful mystery featuring three generations of women. Those women, a grandmother, two middle-aged daughters, and a teen granddaughter, are so real that they seem to be people that you know who have feelings that you have or that you've had in the past. The interactions and the relationship that they have, the type of personalities and the deep attachment they display, will definitely touch the hearts of readers as the narrative unfolds.

Highly recommend to all fans of romantic suspense novels and to those who enjoy a good family story with a multi-generational cast of interesting women.

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

More a psychologcal treatise than a suspense thriller...., March 18, 2011

Although the book was a fast read for me, and despite the fact that it attempted to cover a lot of ground educating the reader about children with severe psychiatric issues, this fourth novel in the D.D. Warren series simply wasn't that compelling. The author uses her various characters shamelessly in attempts to lecture us about explosive and violent children as well as about the collaborative problem solving approach used by some psychiatric acute care facilities to manage the children that are held there.

The somewhat preposterous plot has Detective Warren investigating two family annihilations -- one right after another and seemingly unrelated. The cases eventually lead her and her team to a spiritual healer and to a locked down ward, the Pediatric Evaluation Clinic of Boston inside the Kirkland Medical Center. As the narrative unfolds, there seems to be some concern that the murders may have some connection to the unit.

After a child somehow escapes the locked ward, suspicious Warren starts questioning the employees. Her attention focuses on an RN who works there. Twenty-five years previous to the present cases, Danielle, sexually abused by her father, was the lone survivor of a family murder-suicide. The guilt she feels hasn't worn off even after years of therapy. Is she disturbed and dangerous?

In addition -- in what can only be the author's desire to show us the human toll of childhood mental illness and maternal devotion, there's Victoria, a single mom who has locked herself in her own house with her emotionally disturbed son, Evan, who is constantly threatening to kill her. How is this family connected to the other murders?

Who is Andrew Lightfoot -- ex Wall Street whiz turned spiritual healer -- and why is he constantly talking about darkness and light?

Finally in the last chapters, the convoluted story line comes together for a somewhat unfulfilling and totally predictable ending. A better exposé and more chilling book about the topic of disturbed children who just may have been "born bad" is the truly excellent We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel (P.S.) - one of the most chilling and unforgettable novels I've ever read.

The book wasn't a complete waste of time by any means, but it really didn't have a lot of suspense for me, it wasn't a police procedural, and the character of D.D. always talking about sex (or food) really irritated me. I don't care for her personality and am not interested in learning more about her. I love thrillers and would have preferred to have more "thrill" in this novel. Not really sure how the police aspect played into the subject matter and don't think it was very effective.

All in all, read it if you're a Gardner fan (I have read all her previous books) and one other note: it can be read as a stand alone, you don't have to have read the previous books in her series.

Land of the Painted Caves by Jean Auel

The epic journey of Ayla from orphan to Zelandoni concludes., March 13, 2011

The front cover of my ARC states, "Three decades in the telling..." Well, fellow readers, it seems as if it took me nearly that long to read this particular book, the conclusion (book #6) to the Earth's Children Series. I eagerly snapped it up when it was offered in the vine newsletter and started it right away. Now, over a month and a half later, I finally finished. I'm a fast reader, usually can read a book within a day or two. I don't know why this one took so long -- perhaps because it was insufficiently edited, tedious, repetitious, and frankly -- sometimes boring. How often did we need to be reminded that Ayla was a foreigner (her accent), that she was beautiful, that she tamed horses and a wolf, that she was an incredible healer and visionary, or that she was a skilled hunter who could take care of herself? Many other reviewers have already remarked on the tendency of author Jean Auel to be redundant and burden her readers with overkill on detail. How many times did we have to read the "Mother Song" to get the point of the song, for instance? Much of that just took up space in a hefty tome that must weigh about 3 pounds at 757 pages!

Regardless, I am finally finished with Ayla, Jondalar and all the rest of the early "Others" who came to life in the thousands of pages I've read over these years. I was a little disappointed that this last book consisted mostly of traveling to and fro and less about human interplay. The novel only really becomes exciting (somewhat) during the last third of the book as Ayla finally reaches her destiny. Without spoilers, I found the ending a bit anticlimactic and the series ends with a whimper rather than with a bang. I had to suppress a small scoff of disbelief considering how Ayla's "discoveries" during her vision definitely will be changing how the people of this early land live and experience family life!

I won't rehash the plot (there really isn't much of one anyway) but will suggest that all fans of this series will likely spend days and perhaps even weeks wading through this final offering and coming to their own conclusions with the end of a series that was introduced with The Clan Of The Cave Bear - Earth's Children over 31 years ago! This is not a stand alone novel and readers who want the full impact of this monumental epic should start with that first book -- which I consider the best of them all.

All told, I am glad I read it; now I can put Ayla and her escapades aside.

Help!

I am in a reading slump. I am desperately in need of a really good book to help me out. I am looking for a NEW and well written medical thriller. Something fresh and original...if you have any suggestions, please post them for me. THANKS.

When We Were Friends by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

Predictable melodrama..., March 8, 2011

This novel, the first I've read by this author, was a fast-paced but predictable and totally unbelievable story. Two women who were best friends as teenagers before they had a falling out in high school conspire in a plot that involves kidnapping, accusations of child abuse, infidelity, and a love triangle.

Lainey and Sydney were "blood" sisters during childhood. During their high school years, Sydney turns on Lainey and puts her down in order to be part of a popular crowd. Years pass. Sydney marries, has a baby, and Lainey is left behind at home to care for her mother who has some psychiatric issues that include agoraphobia. Lainey is an artist painting murals for a living when she runs into Sydney when hired to do a mural at a local occult shop. Sydney seems overjoyed at their reunion and suggests that the two become reacquainted. During the get together, Sydney relates tales of abuse that she and her daughter Jacqueline have experienced and expresses a fear of her husband. She proposes the most outlandish plan -- Lainey should take the baby and hide her until Sydney can get things together and leave her husband while retaining custody of her daughter. Needless to say, the idea is poorly conceived and completely preposterous, but Lainey acquiesces, takes "Molly" and departs -- thus begins the rest of the novel.

Where does Lainey go? Who does she meet along the way? What connection, if any, does this man have with her friend and what are the "bad things" he has done? No spoilers here, but the novel bumps along in a very predictable fashion with no surprises. The characters are not particularly interesting and I thought they were definitely unlikeable. I read on to the conclusion without much interest in the outcome as I knew full well what it would be. I wouldn't say this was a novel about friendship. I doubt that any sane person would do what Lainey did. Hmmmm.

Ho-hum novel, borrow it if you want to read it.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

*** stars

This book was OK but not nearly as good as the author's previous bestseller, The Time Traveler's Wife. The story was slow and had a bizarre, twisted, and wholly unbelievable ending. I'm not really recommending it.

So Much for That by Lionel Shriver

How much is one life worth?, January 23, 2011

Although a somewhat difficult and painful read, this story will stay with me for a long time. The characters are disturbingly realistic and their experiences and reactions to the events that transpire in the novel make them seem like they could be your neighbors or relatives. The underlying moral and ethical conflicts in the narrative -- the abuses of the insurance industry and the health care crisis -- are timely and important.

Shep Knacker is a very good man -- the kind of dutiful and responsible guy you'd like to have as best friend, employee, son, brother, father or husband. He works hard, pinches pennies and saves every dime while planning his ultimate escape to Pemba and the Afterlife -- retirement and freedom from all his middle class cares and worries. When his somewhat caustic and pampered artist wife Glynis is diagnosed with cancer, his kindness and obligation are brought to a supreme test.

Glynis enters treatment for mesothelioma (a cancer that has been associated with asbestos exposure) while Shep still has his healthy Merrill Lynch portfolio worth nearly a million dollars -- all earmarked for his planned one-way trip out of the USA. He quickly learns that he won't be able to leave after all because he needs to work in order to keep his health insurance for Glynis's fight against the cancer. He nobly accepts his care-taking role and soon finds himself at odds with work and his family and friends because of the tremendous pressure and stress on him to continue to provide. Inexorably, we see that Shep is slowly being metaphorically exsanguinated (bled dry) by all the demands placed on him at work, at home with Glynis, with his sister and father, by his children, and with his best friend Jackson. In addition, there goes the bank account -- draining dollar by dollar for drugs and treatments that don't seem to be doing much.

At the heart of this novel is the question -- how much is one willing to pay for a few extra hours, days, weeks or months of life? How much is one person's life worth and when is enough good enough? As Shep continues to take care of the bills and the people in his life, he becomes more resigned and trapped by the realization that even after Glynis dies, he still won't be able to escape to Pemba because he will be completely broke. And to what end? Glynis is still going to die.

I really cared about the people in this novel. There are other side plots dealing with Shep's friend Jackson and Jackson's family, Shep's sister and father that also provided insight into the character of a man who indeed "shepherds" those he cares for. It was neither an easy read nor a particularly uplifting one. It was, however, a poignant testimony to the power of love and the virtue of duty. I recommend it.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

* * * stars
This one left me cold..., January 15, 2011
This review is from: Ice Cold: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel (Hardcover)

Although this 8th book in the series featuring Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli is a very quick read, it lacks the depth and complexity of other novels featuring this duo. The setting in icy Wyoming and the plot involving a polygamous cult separate the two colleagues and make this book less about their team approach to solving murders but more about Maura's harrowing experiences while there.

While there is a mystery to solve and the story is suspenseful, I much prefer the Rizzoli and Isles novels that involve a murder investigation and the forensic details that I've come to know and love in the series.

I definitely hope that Gerritsen returns to the medical thriller formula that has made her previous books a hit with me.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

A worthy book of the year -- read it!, January 6, 2011

This review is from: Freedom (Audio CD)

DO believe the hype. This was a very good book about a family -- yes a dysfunctional family in some ways -- but is what I think is a fairly astute picture of a husband, wife, son, and daughter facing and trying to deal with the changes that life and circumstance put in front of them. Rather than write a synopsis of the plot, I would rather the reader consider this merely a portrait of a Midwestern middle class family - no, not a typical family per se, but one that could live next door to you.

Franzen's prose is stark. He writes with a pen as sharp as a scalpel sometimes revealing the inner workings of the mind that perhaps are normally kept hidden -- even from ourselves. I liked his other book, The Corrections: A Novel, as well. He has a biting sarcasm and a wry sense of humor that I find incredible and his perceptions about life are razor edged. I know he's not for everyone. He has a way of writing and putting out there the things you don't ever want to think or say and I believe he makes many very uncomfortable. I think he's brilliant.

I am not usually a person who prefers an audiobook to a paper book, but I quickly became engrossed in the story. The reader, David LeDoux, did male voices extremely well. Unfortunately his rendering of the voice of Lalitha got on my nerves! His accent made her unlikeable and she sounded rather simpering which was the opposite of what I believe that Franzen intended that character to be. Other than that annoyance, the voice, despite the changing points of view, was easy to follow and I thought he delivered them believable and entirely human.

The only thing I really didn't like that much about the way the story was told was the way the author jumped back and forth between characters and with sequence. I'm a reader who prefers sequential narrative; nevertheless I found the novel deeply satisfying and one that many of us who struggle with obstacles and unexpected hurdles can understand.

All things considered, I highly recommend this book.

The Devotion of Supsect X by Keigo Higashino

4 stars

A battle of wits, January 2, 2011
This is a very clever mystery novel originally written in Japanese and translated into English and is this author's first major English publication. Apparently this novel is a continuation of a popular serial drama, Galileo, and has also been made into a Japanese film, Suspect-X that was released in 2008. The recurring character in the series is Manabu Yukawa, a brilliant physics professor at Imperial University who is respectfully called Detective Galileo. He assists the local police sometimes with particularly vexsome cases, and this murder is one of those.
Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced mother working in a box lunch shop. She left her old life as a hostess behind and is trying to live a quiet existence while raising her teenage daughter, Misato. Unfortunately for her, she has a deadbeat ex-husband who is looking for her and who wants to get back together and who wants money. When he comes to extort her and threatens to harm her daughter at her apartment on that fateful evening, she and her daughter murder Shinji Togashi. Overhearing the scuffle, next door neighbor -- a mathematics teacher named Tetsuya Ishigami -- comes to her door and offers Yasuko total salvation. He tells her that he will take care of everything and will help them avoid prosecution and imprisonment if only they do exactly as he says.
Although the lead detectives on the case suspect that the alibis of Yasuko and her Misato aren't quite ironclad, police are confused about whether or not they are truly suspects in the murder. With fantastic misdirection and precise circumlocution directed behind the scenes by Ishigami, the pair are continuing their daily lives as if innocent. Meanwhile the intrepid and faithful Ishigami is still pulling the strings of the investigation. Detective Kusanagi, certain that something fishy is going on, consults his friend Yukawa. It so happens that Yukawa knows Ishigami from their shared history at Imperial University where they both attended -- Yukawa majoring in physics and Ishigami in mathematics. What follows after Yukawa gets involved is a true battle of wits between the two former classmates.

I enjoyed the way the investigation unfolded and the interaction between the characters. The novel is complex and is definitely a thinking person's read. Scattered throughout are complex philosophical questions and mathematical proofs. The highly intelligent Yukawa and Ishigami provide point and counterpoint as the multilayered elements of the crime are slowly revealed. The conclusion, however, is painful. I closed the book with a profound sense of grief.
Recommend to discriminating readers. Don't be put off by this perhaps being an unfamiliar author, or by the fact that it is a translation from Japanese.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit*, December 31, 2010

This review is from: The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway) (Hardcover)

I knew when I opened the first page of this book that I should have read the first one in the Ruth Galloway mystery series -- The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway) -- so if you haven't read it, stop and remedy that now. This second book immediately made me wish I had "met" the characters previously so I could understand what led to Ruth's pregnancy and to know the relationship she had with her baby's father. That said, and even though her pregnancy takes up a lot of the novel, the book is really a mystery about the murder of a child, and how that child's headless skeleton comes to lie underneath the doorway of an old mansion. Who is the girl and how did she end up there?
Ruth Galloway is 40ish, unmarried, and a slightly overweight forensic archeologist. She is called in as a consultant when bones are found during the demolition of a large, old house (once an orphanage) that is being converted into apartments. Joined by other colleages -- Max and Cathbad -- Ruth begins to assist Detective Police Inspector Harry Nelson in the investigation. The more she delves into the case, the more trouble she has. Who is afraid of what she might find out and how far is that person willing to go to stop her!?

Although the story is not what I would call fast paced, it's the characters and their interactions and dialog that make the book interesting. I really like that the protagonist is a strong, intelligent, and independent middle aged woman. Her friends are interesting and the archelogocial details are fascinating.

I think most who enjoy forensic mystery stories will like this novel -- but be sure to read them in order as I didn't think this one worked well as a stand alone!

A solid 3 1/2 stars.

*Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit = Everything changes but nothing is destroyed.

The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry

A thriller that takes you deep into the history of China, December 20, 2010

I have read most all of Steve Berry's previous novels -- my favorite was The Third Secret: A Novel -- and I like the way that the author blends history, archeology, and adventure into a mystery thriller. The typical Berry novel is a cross between Clive Cussler and Dan Brown, and they are fast paced, quick reads.

In this novel, Cotton Malone and Casssiopeia Vitt (these characters most recently appeared in the previous novel The Paris Vendetta: A Novel) are reunited in a mission that focuses on China and a conspiracy that may prove deadly as there are those who want to keep an incredible discovery a secret. Malone and Vitt are brought into the inner workings of the post Mao government where there is a showdown between the two leading contenders (Tang and Ni) for that country's leadership role. Add in traitorous eunuchs, Russian spies, and trigger happy soldiers and you have a somewhat confusing story of cross and double cross. At stake is China's leadership yes, but also a race to verify that oil -- not fossil fuel as long believed was scarce -- but abiotic oil that is self replenishing and would never run out. What a find for China if true -- China that needs massive quantities of imported oil to run its industry and shelter its people. A Russian geologist has what he believes is proof that abiotic oil exists and was actually discovered in Gansu over 2200 years ago!! He is wanted by both the Russians and the Chinese and they will stop at nothing to get the verification they need. For if China doesn't need to import oil, it will no longer have to follow the dictates of the other nations and won't be held in check by threats of embargo. How powerful the leader of the nation that possesses unlimited oil would be. But no other country will find out! Is the verification they need hidden in the Emperor Qin Shi's tomb? The only problem is that the tomb has been off limits and sealed for over 2000 years!

Although the historical parts of the book were quite interesting (dynastic succession, eunuchs, important discoveries made centuries ago in China but kept from the western world) the narrative was somewhat disconnected. The point of view and the scene would switch back and forth quite frequently. I found the dialog more like an anthropology lecture sometimes and something that irritated me was the way the author wrote the way the Russians talked. The Chinese spoke English smoothly, but the Russians said things like "I not know" and "She gives to Tang who returns boy" i.e., skipped words, etc. Annoying -- I'm certain that any Russian secret agent would speak English quite fluently.

In short -- this book was OK but seemed more like a lecture in between unbelievable scenes of escapes and near death experiences. The fight scenes seemed to go on far too long and some of the transitions dragged on between bursts of action. Read it if you like to read about Chinese history and if you like spy stories and adventures. The conclusion was quite predictable.

Ghost Country by Patrick Lee

Fun sequel - sci-fi thriller..., December 6, 2010

This exciting follow up to The Breach reads like a movie script and I could see the action sequences and the main characters on the big screen as I turned the pages. A worthy sequel, Mr. Lee takes the characters on an incredible adventure following their discovery of a dead city filled with dusty bones.

Travis, Paige and Bethany used the cylinder to time travel to Yuma, Arizona, where they figure out that a controlled catastrophe is about to happen in the current month of December and that it will have the effect of virtually destroying the known world. What that incipient disaster is has them running all over the continents, back and forth in time, and facing their nemesis -- a former humanitarian in cahoots with the sitting President and a host of other corrupt scientists and government officials.

Although some suspension of disbelief at the last minute saves and some of the science and politics is required, it is after all science/adventure FICTION, and should be read just for the pure escapist pleasure of it.

Seems that there is plenty of room for another book in this series and I will look forward to reading it as well.

Recommend -- enjoy!

The Breach by Patrick Lee

What is The Breach and who can you trust?, November 30, 2010

Lucky me! I have the second book in the series, Ghost Country, waiting for me right after turning the last page of this very interesting sci-fi type thriller. This first novel, The Breach, ends with a lot of unanswered questions and a cliffhanger that will make fans rush to find out out what happens next.

The story begins with a lone man trying to find answers in the Alaskan wilderness. Travis Chase has just recently been released from prison after serving time for a crime that we never quite get the details of but that will probably be significant later. He discovers a crash site of a 747 -- everyone on board is dead. There are cryptic messages and a strange series of instructions about a sphere that was taken from the plane. This sets in motion a very fast paced and suspenseful adventure that involves alien technology and lots of blood and guts. Travis rescues one of the two hostages taken from the plane and the two of them embark upon a mission to stop and prevent an apocalypse beyond his imagination.

The futuristic sci-fi and the technical information provide the reader with lots of interesting things to imagine and the narrative moves quickly as Travis and his rescued hostage Paige try to second guess and outwit the entity that is trying to control all the events that transpire. The problem is that The Whisper knows and can predict everything...from years in advance.

This is a quick read that you'll devour if you like futuristic "end of the world" science fiction adventures!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

5 stars -- a wonderful, beautiful, and satisfying read. I really loved it and think you will too!
Stories don't get much better than this.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Where will she go? What will she do?, November 2, 2010

I almost cried when I finished the last page of this trilogy. I slowed down my reading to a snail's pace to drag out the last few paragraphs knowing that I'd never read another word about Lisbeth or the rest of the wonderful cast of characters created by Stieg Larsson in three fantastic novels that captivated and enthralled me. I was left thinking that there was unfinished business here and that I would always wonder what happened after...

This book, the third in the Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy Bundle: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest takes up immediately where The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage) ended -- Lisbeth is mortally wounded and about to undergo surgery for the gunshot into her brain. Her eventual recovery and days spent in hospital are not wasted -- she is always planning her revenge and will accept no compromises in her quest for justice, finally, after years of being a persecuted victim. The reader is drawn into the story quickly and roots for Lisbeth's triumph over her oppressors and wishes her to overcome all the obstacles that have been placed in front of her. No capitulation. She's one of the most interesting heroines in suspense fiction, or perhaps such a finely developed idiosyncratic character has not previously been found in any genre lately! I was at times annoyed by her stoic and total refusal to engage with those who tried to help her as well as to be moved with pity or admiration for the way she dealt with the injustice served her.

I highly recommend this series and wish I could have the pleasure of reading yet another story involving Lisbeth Salander. This final novel in the trilogy brought some closure to her story, but there were still some unanswered questions that I believe I will ponder for some time.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

4 stars -- great intelligent thriller with lots of interesting details and suspense. I love the characters, especially Lisbeth, and have already started the third and final book in the series. I had hesitated to even start this trilogy because of all the hype, but I'm glad I did and recommend it to anyone who likes this genre.

The Murderer's Daughters

Escaping a shocking act of domestic violence..., October 21, 2010

This review is from: The Murderer's Daughters (Hardcover)

I was quite disappointed in this uneven, overly slow novel that never seemed to go anywhere. The premise was interesting -- two sisters struggle through a series of sad and depressing events after their father murders their mother, attempts to stab and kill one of the sisters, and continues to torture them emotionally and disrupt their lives from his jail cell. I believe some have remarked upon a similarity to Janet Fitch's heartbreakingly beautiful novel, White Oleander (Oprah's Book Club), but I did not see much similarity beyond the basic facts that in both books a parent committed a murder and went to prison and also both tried to manipulate their children while incarcerated.

Told in first person alternating voices, this novel tells the tale of Lulu and Merry - the murderer's two daughters who witnessed his crime against them and who try to escape being known and defined by his act. Taunted at school, in the home of relatives and later in an orphanage, the girls can't seem to get away from the horror of their childhood abuse and the stain that violence left upon them. The sisters are as different as night from day as they deal with the trauma and suffer various types of post-traumatic reactions. The two behave quite stereotypically with the older sister taking on the reliable, responsible maternal role and the younger Merry becoming a bit off balance, promiscuous, and developing an addictive type personality. They remain close although constantly trying to hide their past, shielding Lulu's children from the knowledge that they have a grandfather in prison, and fighting about Merry's continued relationship with their father whom she visits at the penitentiary.

The narrative continues through the course of their young adult lives as each sister struggles to find her place in the world and to leave her past behind. Their bond is threatened when their father announces that he's about to be released from prison. Will the sisters be able to forgive him and accept him back into their lives? What, after all, is the nature of family and how strong is a pull toward a biological parent no matter how "bad" they have behaved? Can anyone remain unaffected after a shocking act of domestic violence and become whole again? These are all questions that the reader might ponder while reading. I personally didn't like the way the book ended, but perhaps others might have found more profound meaning in the conclusion. No new revelations here!